Interior wall construction of buildings



June 20, 1939. F L BALL, JR, ET AL 2,163,314

INTRIOR WALL CONSTRUCTION 0F BUILDINGS Filed Feb. 24, 1939 jvancw cZQZZ// meent @12h22,

Patented June El), IQBS attain HNTERER WALL CONSTRUCTION F i BUILDINGS Francis r. nail, Jr., and vincent' J. aan, Willow Grove, Pa.

Application February 24, 1939, Serial No.`258,272

14 Claims.

This invention relates to the interior wall construction ofbuildings, and pertains more particularly to the plaster-supporting means employed bridges the gaps present between the spaced.

joists or rafters. Many'diierent forms of lathing, plasterboard, alone or in combination with other formations to provide a composite support, have been developed and utilized. While this great variety of forms of support provide a wide range of selection, such large variety also makes evident the fact that the variety itself is due to the condition that a real solution of the problems involved has not been developed. To permit this to be understood a. brief explanation of some of the problems involved will be given.

The plaster coating should be lasting and not be likely to crack, since it is designed to remain serviceable over an extensive period of years. To obtain this result is the main problem, and the factors which enter into this problem are many and varied.- For instance, should the joists or rafters be somewhat green when applied, the succeeding drying out may cause warping if the plaster support is rigidly secured to the `ioists or rafters, the warping action will inherently develop cracks in the plaster coating. Again, should the oor of the room above be subjected to heavy or sudden pressures, as by storage of heavy weights, or in dancing, the pressure is applied to the coating through the joists, thus placing spaced-apart strains on the coating and its support, with the result -that cracking of the coating may ensue. These are referred to simply to indicate that the factors of the problem reach far beyond the immediate conditions provided by the formation of the support itself,

or the securing of the support to the joists or A rafters and the maintenance of a proper connection between the coating and its support.

Another condition wlrlch can lead to the development of cracking the coating, is found in the character of the support itself. For instance,

if the support is not sufficiently rigid so as to` prevent yielding, the fact that it is located on spaced-apart joists orerafters, provides a span effect; since the plasterer employs pressure when applying the coating, any possibility of yield in the support could result in tending to bow the support during application of the coating, with the result that when the support returnsto normal, the face of the coating'fashioned on the basis of the bowed condition becomes changed, thus produc'ng an uneven surface and' even cracking.

y The coating must be adherent to its support to prevent peeling. This is generally secured by bonding-as by the use of open lathing; the plastic plaster passes through the openings in sufcientamount so that when it becomes hardened it tends to'produce` an` interlock, with the support; obviously, an excessive amount of plaster must be employed under these conditions. In some cases, a metallic openwork or meshlike lathin'g is employed, backed by a layer which includes a corrugated formation; this tends to fashion or shape the interlock through the fact that the corrugations open to .the lathing receive the plaster and can thus control the shaping of the interlock-the excess of plaster is required, but its interlock is fashioned instead of being hap-hazard; 'if the corrugated layer be of yielding material, such as paper,.for instance, any advantage as to yieldability becomes lost through the presence of the plaster within the corrugations-a condition that is also present if the layer is designed for air-cell service.

If the wall is to carry a service structure-a snap-switch casing, for instance-provision must be made therefore in the support before applying the plaster.A If the lathing is metallic, diiculty is had in providing the opening therethrough; under theseconditions extreme carev must be had and expert workmanship is required. y l

These are but a few of the many factors that are to be found within this problem, and will illustrate the wide range within which sources of factors of the problem can be found. They also illustrate, somewhat, the reasons for the wide diversity of solutions that have been utilized,v and also Why the development of solutions has not followed a generalstandard, but have been widely diversifiedthe diiiiculty of nding a' solution which Will reach to all of the factors, has set up the condition that the solutions adopted have met a selected number of the factors and made no'attempt to meet the remainder; the diversity of. solutions comes from the fact that different proposals are based on dierent selections of factors to be considered.

As will be understood, the factors above referred to lead more particularly in the direction of a` composite support for the coating, and one of the conditions that are found in this develop: ment is the fact that, in order to'increase the number of factors found in the selection referred to, the cost of producing the support has gradually increased, so that the more satisfactory forms have reached a stage where the manufacturing A,and applying costs have become high, a condition which tends to limitV their use to building structures of the more expensive types. This is especially true where the developments attempt to include insulating and sound-proofing conditions. As a result, the buildings of low cost characteristic havetended more in the direction of. the use of the old-fashioned method of wooden lath arrangement, or the use of plasterboard slab supports, of single-ply formation, many different forms of which have been utilized and are to be found inthe commercial art.

The plasterboard form has itself been of the developing type, due to a number of conditions. Boards of this type are rigid'and offer a good plastering support, but because of the conditions of warping of joists and rafters, and the effect of heavy weight or sudden shocks made apparent as the results of service, brought about efforts to build up a board having the strength to withstand these conditions, thus rea-sons for the development within the plasterboard art itself. While the plasterboard later development forms have become acceptable and passed into extensive commercial use, the fact that they produce a rigidly secured structure with the framework, not only retains the possibility of breakage in theV event of severe warping conditions, but are vulnerable as shock-transmitting agencies from an upper oor, vfor instance, to the ceilingfof the room below. In addition, the ability to provide insulating effects other than the board itself is absent.

The present invention, which is of the composite support type, is designed to meet conditions such as are to be found within the setting thus described, by providing a support which can be readily secured. to the supporting joists or rafters, which will provide the insulating characteristics, which provide for the application of the plaster coating without liability of springing the support during the plaster application, and which vwill maintain the coating against the effect of warping of joists or rafters, or the sudden shock conditions referred to. In addition, the support can'be readily manipulated to accommodate service attachments with a minimum amount of. labor and care. The manufacturing costs ofthe support are relatively low so that it can be readily utilized underl low-cost building conditions, as well as for the expensive structures, the support. having a construction such as can provide an efficient substitute for the higher cost structures, In addition, the support is of a type adapted to be marketed in units of definite dimensions so as to enable the builder or repairer to readily procure the required supply in dimensions capable of ready application,

the support being of a form that can be readilyutilized in making repairs as well as in new building construction.

To these and other ends, therefore, the nature of which will be readily apparent as the inven-v tion is hereinafter disclosed, said invention conindicating individual by the corrugations.

sists in the improved construction and combination of parts as hereinafter described in detail, illustrated in the accompanying drawing', and more particularly set forth in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing, in which similar reference characters indicate similar .parts in each of the views,-

Figure 1 is a fragmentary sectional view of the ceiling zone of a room with the support of the present invention 'included in the ceiling formation;

Figure 2 is asimilar sectional view with the `section extending at right angles to that of Figure 5 is a similar sectional view illustrating the leifect of sudden shocks or overloading of the floor of the room above;

Figure 6 is a sectional view showing a portion ofthe nail assembly used with the support.

'-The support forming the invention is Vmade up of two main elements each of which is a wellknown commercial product, the invention being in the assemblage pf these so as to provide the composite support. One of these elements is a A'slab of plaster-board formed of a preferred material such as can be readily formed into the desired dimensions and shape, but which, when finished, has 'manv of the characteristics of a plaster coating of the finer grade. v'I'he second element is provided from the well-known corrugated board structure-paper or asbestos material--in which the corrugated sheet is interposed between two outer flat plies, so that the composite sheet provides a succession of longitudinally-extending channel-like openings made Both elements are commercial products as individuals.

-The plasterboard slab, indicated at I0, has its body formed of the preferred material-which may be illustrated, for instance, by gypsum alone or with other ingredients, capable of being made plastic and then hardenedthe body being indicated at 10a. The outer face of this body is preferably covered with a thin sheet of suitable fibrous material Illb--which may be paper, for

instance, the sides and ends of this sheet extending around the edges of the slab and being secured to the opposite face of the slab, as at |00, thus leaving the major portion of such opposite face exposed.

'Ihe corrugated element, indicated at Il, is of desired dimensions. It may be of similar dimensions to that of the surface of the slab, thus enabling the composite unit to be completed and marketed as a unit. .Or the dimensions of element II may equal the dimensions of an area to be covered by a plurality of slabs-this being illustrated in Fig. B-in which case the elements may be marketed separately and the assembly built up at the location of use; or two or more of the slabs can be secured to such sheet at the manufactory' and marketed in this way, such arrangement permitting the user to separate the uniting the two elements no slippage is possible between'them, `and the'cellular element Ii will always remain positioned immediately adjacent thezslab in service. d

'AIhe vs upport thus formed is secured to the joists orY rafters preferably by suitable nails', which are simply driven through the element into the joist or rafter, but preferably without crushing the element Ii, which,` in its securedform possesses sufficient strength to maintain itself undernormal conditions, and since it 'underlies the rigid slab, will retain its normalvconguration during normal service.- However, the corrugated formo'f element Il will permit zonal yieldingyso that the elementjhas the characteristics of a yieldable cushioning layer interposed between the slabs andujoists or rafters, so that if warping of joists or rafter should take place-as indicated in Fig. l` for instance-the element layer will permit the abnormal change in joists or rafter without affecting the slab in any way.

, j Forthe purpose of meeting the conditions of sudden shocks or heavy overloading of the overhead rafters, the nails used in positioning the support are preferably provided with yieldable caps, `as indicated, for instance, in Fig. 6, at i2 and 'I2a.` respectively. Since the nails arexpositioned before the plaster coat is applied, the caps willbe normal during plastering, thus determining thedimensions of the nail-headzone. Since, however, the capis of yieldable material, the nail can slightly move in an advancing direction under yield of the rafter-as indicated for instance in casing, and then cutting through the element il on' the opposite Aside along corresponding lines, after which the portion to be removed is simply driven out by the blow of a hammer.

As will be apparent, the cellular form of element II is unchanged by the positioning of the support or the application of the plaster coating, and since this element"l is in immediate contact with the plasterboard slab, the composite assembly places a multiplicity of open-ended channels capable of containing air in immediate juxtaposition to the slabs, so that the wall becomes insulated from the space between the joists and rafters, with the insulation effective to lalso deaden sound effects'. And even though element Ii is itself non-rigid in type, this will not be detrimental in case of pressure placed on ther face of the wall, since the plaster coating ofthe room reaching to its different sides will aid the slabs in preventing damage and support the wall against any material and damaging effect in presence of pressure so applied; under normal conditions no pressure of this type would be applied to such walls.

While the use ofA corrugated material has been heretofore contemplated as a part of a wall construction, it has generally been applied under conditions where the plaster itself enters at least half of the corrugations--the arrangement'heretofore pointed out-so that the layer no longer remains yieldable, in addition to which half of the cells vare filled so that the air-cell feature is limited to half the possible capacity. In the presenil invention the corrugations are prevented from filling through'the, presence of the side ply which serves to securel the element to'the rigid slab element ill, so that Ano plaster material can reach into the corrugations; as a result the normal cellular arrangement provided by the corrugations is maintained.

And by 'combining this element il with the can be understood by considering that if the rigid ply We're valso of the corrugated material, the application of the pressure in plastering would permit yielding of the support intermediate ythe rafters -or joists, with the result that if the support resumed its'assumed normal condition after the coating has been applied, the coating vwould become deformed if not broken.

As indicated above the layer ilv is ofa wellf knownformation the latter generally providing a pair of flat face plies lia and an intermediate ply I Ib which is corrugated'withthe corrugations sustained by securing'the plies Ila to the outer side of the bottom of the corrugations. Since thev open side of each corrugation is thus closed by a ply ila, the structure provides the channel-like condition xabove referred to and which tends to set up a cellularformation to the layer. The material usedA is of a fibrous character-paper and asbestos bres'have both been employed in producing the layer assembly and either can be utilized for the present service..y

As will be understood, the.support of the present 'invention is made up fundamentally of the rigid substantially imperforat'e plasterboard layer toV which the plaster coating is to be attached, and the yieldable cellular layer which is adherently securedl to the opposite side of the rigid layer. The rigid layer is generally an assembly of slabs of the plasterboard material,

while the cellular layer may be of similar facial to the rigid layer, a condition which will retain the pieced assembly in proper position. The underlying feature of the wall assembly is that the rigid layer is spaced from the joists or rafters by the cellular layer which is interposed between the joist and the rigid layer with the cellular characteristic practically unimpaired. In the assembly, the portion of the cellular layer intermediate the joists acts generally as an insulator, but within the zone of the joist or rafter itself, it acts additionally to permit the yieldable characteristic that is discussed above and which provides the protective action on the plaster coating in presence of the abnormal conditions referred to. Since the ply lia which. is secured to the rigid layer l0 closesthe corrugations of layer Il,

. it is obvious that any stray plaster which may pass through interst'ices between adjacent slabs of the layer li cannot enter the corrugations to thereby prevent the yieldability referred to.

While we have herein disclosed one or more ways for carrying out the present invention, it will be readily understood that changes or modications therein may be founddesirable or essen-j tial in meeting the exigencies of service conditions, and we therefore desire to be understood as reserving the right to make any and all such changes or modifications as may be found desirable or essential insofar as the same may fall within the spirit and scope of the invention as expressed in the accompanying claims when broadly construed.

What is claimed as new is:

1. In wall construction, wherein the plaster coating is permanently positioned relative to the joists and/or rafters by a composite support secured to the joists and/or rafters with the coating applied to the support subsequent to the se curing of the support to the joists and/or rafters to thereby cause the coating to be adherently connected to the support, an assembly as thus characterized and having as its composite support a rigid layer of plasterboard type to which the coating is adherently connected on its outer face, and a layer of yieldable cellular formation adherently secured to the opposite face of the rigid layer, said support being nailed tol the joists and/or rafters with the cellular layer spacing/the rigid layer and the joists and/or rafters, whereby the cellular layer will permit abnormal changes in relation between the rigid layer and the joists and/or rafters without affecting the plaster coating, and whereby such cellular layer will provide an insulating characteristic to the wall in the immediate vicinity of the rigid layer.

2. An assembly as in claim 1 characterized in that the rigid layer comprises a plurality of individual slab-like rigid members individually imperforate, and each presenting as its outer face a thin fibrous layer adherently secured to the member face.and to which the plaster coating becomes adherently connected when applied.

3. An assembly as in claim 1 characterized in that the rigid layer comprises a plurality of individual slab-like rigid members individually lmperforate, and each presenting as its outer face a thin fibrous layer adherently secured to the member face and to which the plaster coating -becomes adherently connected when applied, said thin layer extending around the edges of the member with its marginal edges secured to the opposite face of the member to thereby provide a member inner surface having the major portion of its face exposed to permit the adherent securing thereto of the cellular layer.

4. An assembly as in claim 1, characterized in that the cellular layer is of multi-ply formation with an intermediate ply corrugated and with the outer plies imperforate to thereby provide substantially complete adhesion between the two layers and to maintain the yieldabilityI of the cellular layer through the yieldability of the corrugated ply.

5. An assembly as in claim 1 characterized in that the cellular layer is formed of material, the base of which is fibrous.

paper.

v7. An assembly as in claim l, characterized in that the cellular layer is of multi-ply formation with an intermediate -ply corrugated and with the outer plies imperforate to thereby provide substantially complete adhesion between the two 4layers and to maintain the yieldability of the cellular layer through the yieldability of the corrugated ply, said formation being formed from asbestos fibres. 4

8. An assembly as in claim 1, characterized in that the support is secured to the joists and/or rafters by nails each having a cap of yleldable material, to thereby permit abnormal movement of joist or raf-ter in the direction of the coating by the yielding of such cap without affecting the coating.

9. An assembly as in claim 1, characterized in that the support is secured to the joists and/or rafters by nails each having a 'cap of resilient rubber, to thereby permit abnormal movement of joist or rafter in the direction of the coating by the yielding of such cap without affecting the coating.

10. As a new article of manufacture, a unit adapted to form a portion of the support for a plaster coating, said unit comprising an imperforate slab of the plaster-board type, said slab having one of its faces and its edges covered by a thin layer of fibrous material adherently secured to the slab and to which the plaster coating is adherently secured, and a layer of multi-ply form of approximately similar facial area dimensions adherently secured to the opposite face of the slab, said layer having its outer plies imperforate and having an intermediate ply formation of corrugated type to thereby provide a yieldable cellular support for the slab in service and produce insulating characteristics in the immediate vicinity of the slab in service.

11. A unit as in claim 10 characterized in that the cellular layer is of fibrous material.

12. A unit as in claim 10 characterized in that the slab is of gypsum base, and the layer is of fibrous material.

13. A unit as in claim 10 characterized in that the cellular layer is formed from paper stock.

14. A unit as in claim 10 characterized in that' the cellular layer is formed from asbestos fibre stock.

FRANCIS J. BALL, JR. VINCENT J. BALL. 

